This chapter argues that majority rule is a useful complement of inclusive deliberation, not just because majority rule is more efficient timewise, but because it has distinct epistemic properties of ...
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This chapter argues that majority rule is a useful complement of inclusive deliberation, not just because majority rule is more efficient timewise, but because it has distinct epistemic properties of its own. It also stresses that majority rule is best designed for collective prediction—that is, the identification of the best options out of those selected during the deliberative phase. Of all the competing alternatives (rule of one or rule of the few), majority rule maximizes the chances of predicting the right answer among the proposed options. The chapter considers several accounts of the epistemic properties of majority rule, including the Condorcet Jury Theorem, the Miracle of Aggregation, and a more fine-grained model based on cognitive diversity.Less

Second Mechanism of Democratic Reason: Majority Rule

Hélène Landemore

Published in print: 2012-12-30

This chapter argues that majority rule is a useful complement of inclusive deliberation, not just because majority rule is more efficient timewise, but because it has distinct epistemic properties of its own. It also stresses that majority rule is best designed for collective prediction—that is, the identification of the best options out of those selected during the deliberative phase. Of all the competing alternatives (rule of one or rule of the few), majority rule maximizes the chances of predicting the right answer among the proposed options. The chapter considers several accounts of the epistemic properties of majority rule, including the Condorcet Jury Theorem, the Miracle of Aggregation, and a more fine-grained model based on cognitive diversity.

This chapter explores both Governor Michael Dukakis's career from the early 1970s to his presidential bid and the state's economic turnaround, dubbed the “Massachusetts Miracle,” which made the ...
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This chapter explores both Governor Michael Dukakis's career from the early 1970s to his presidential bid and the state's economic turnaround, dubbed the “Massachusetts Miracle,” which made the high-tech industry and skilled professionals ever more central to the state's economy and politics, and the Democratic Party. Despite Dukakis's loss, his platform of abortion rights, affirmative action, the environment, and other quality-of-life concerns coupled with an emphasis on using market incentives to stimulate high-tech growth had a deep impact. Dukakis's platform influenced the set of policies and approach adopted by the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) and its leader, Bill Clinton, in their efforts to appeal to suburban voters and move the party closer toward the center. This agenda continued to disproportionately benefit postindustrial professionals, while also perpetuating forms of racial and economic inequality within metropolitan Boston and in the Democratic Party's priorities.Less

From Taxachusetts to the Massachusetts Miracle

Lily Geismer

Published in print: 2014-12-21

This chapter explores both Governor Michael Dukakis's career from the early 1970s to his presidential bid and the state's economic turnaround, dubbed the “Massachusetts Miracle,” which made the high-tech industry and skilled professionals ever more central to the state's economy and politics, and the Democratic Party. Despite Dukakis's loss, his platform of abortion rights, affirmative action, the environment, and other quality-of-life concerns coupled with an emphasis on using market incentives to stimulate high-tech growth had a deep impact. Dukakis's platform influenced the set of policies and approach adopted by the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) and its leader, Bill Clinton, in their efforts to appeal to suburban voters and move the party closer toward the center. This agenda continued to disproportionately benefit postindustrial professionals, while also perpetuating forms of racial and economic inequality within metropolitan Boston and in the Democratic Party's priorities.

A central claim is that technology management is a powerful policy tool for growth of firms, regions, and nations at every level of industrial development. The capabilities perspective focuses ...
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A central claim is that technology management is a powerful policy tool for growth of firms, regions, and nations at every level of industrial development. The capabilities perspective focuses policy‐making attention on long‐term strategies and organizational change methodologies in the three interrelated domains of the productivity triad. In the business model domain, priority goes to supporting new firm creation, open networks, and high‐performance work systems (HPWSs). The Asian Miracle economies that have achieved high rates of growth developed a critical mass of enterprises with the production capabilities to adopt, adapt, and diffuse technologies that originated in the most technologically advanced regions. The challenge in the domain of skill formation is to link visible and invisible colleges, administer the R&D infrastructure, and anticipate technology transitions with manpower development programs. Finally, the mutual adjustment feature of the productivity triad calls attention to the role of policy alignment across the three domains.Less

Policy Implications

Michael H. Best

Published in print: 2001-07-12

A central claim is that technology management is a powerful policy tool for growth of firms, regions, and nations at every level of industrial development. The capabilities perspective focuses policy‐making attention on long‐term strategies and organizational change methodologies in the three interrelated domains of the productivity triad. In the business model domain, priority goes to supporting new firm creation, open networks, and high‐performance work systems (HPWSs). The Asian Miracle economies that have achieved high rates of growth developed a critical mass of enterprises with the production capabilities to adopt, adapt, and diffuse technologies that originated in the most technologically advanced regions. The challenge in the domain of skill formation is to link visible and invisible colleges, administer the R&D infrastructure, and anticipate technology transitions with manpower development programs. Finally, the mutual adjustment feature of the productivity triad calls attention to the role of policy alignment across the three domains.

This chapter describes the decline of the Production Code and its replacement by the current rating system. Two Supreme Court rulings contributed to the end of the Production Code. In 1948, the court ...
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This chapter describes the decline of the Production Code and its replacement by the current rating system. Two Supreme Court rulings contributed to the end of the Production Code. In 1948, the court ruled that the major motion picture companies could no longer control the theaters in their distribution system, making it possible for independently produced and foreign films without a Code Seal to obtain first-run screenings. And in 1952 the court overturned the ban on Roberto Rossellini’s The Miracle and ruled that motion pictures were entitled to the guarantees of free speech and free press. The liberalization of public attitudes in the post-Code years, the influx of more explicit foreign films, and the impact of TV on box-office receipts all contributed to the decline of the Code, as did several groundbreaking movies. In 1953, Otto Preminger’s ‘racy’ comedy (by 1953 standards), The Moon Is Blue, became one of the first major US movies to be released without a Code Seal. In 1964, Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker successfully challenged the Code ban on nudity, and in 1966, Mike Nichols’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? broke the taboo on vulgar language. In 1966, Jack Valenti became head of the MPAA and soon replaced the Production Code with the precursor of today’s rating system.Less

The Decline of the Code

John Billheimer

Published in print: 2019-05-01

This chapter describes the decline of the Production Code and its replacement by the current rating system. Two Supreme Court rulings contributed to the end of the Production Code. In 1948, the court ruled that the major motion picture companies could no longer control the theaters in their distribution system, making it possible for independently produced and foreign films without a Code Seal to obtain first-run screenings. And in 1952 the court overturned the ban on Roberto Rossellini’s The Miracle and ruled that motion pictures were entitled to the guarantees of free speech and free press. The liberalization of public attitudes in the post-Code years, the influx of more explicit foreign films, and the impact of TV on box-office receipts all contributed to the decline of the Code, as did several groundbreaking movies. In 1953, Otto Preminger’s ‘racy’ comedy (by 1953 standards), The Moon Is Blue, became one of the first major US movies to be released without a Code Seal. In 1964, Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker successfully challenged the Code ban on nudity, and in 1966, Mike Nichols’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? broke the taboo on vulgar language. In 1966, Jack Valenti became head of the MPAA and soon replaced the Production Code with the precursor of today’s rating system.

Artistic Director of Endedans contemporary ballet company, Tania Vergara, recalls the individual attention that Fernando offered to his students in Camagüey when she was in the school there, his ...
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Artistic Director of Endedans contemporary ballet company, Tania Vergara, recalls the individual attention that Fernando offered to his students in Camagüey when she was in the school there, his ubiquitous presence at all school events and his meticulousness in encouraging to students to reach for the scientific elements in what they were learning.Less

Tania Vergara

Toba Singer

Published in print: 2013-03-05

Artistic Director of Endedans contemporary ballet company, Tania Vergara, recalls the individual attention that Fernando offered to his students in Camagüey when she was in the school there, his ubiquitous presence at all school events and his meticulousness in encouraging to students to reach for the scientific elements in what they were learning.

Does martyrdom hurt? For a wide variety of reasons, the answer to this question may seem to be an obvious “yes.” Divine Deliverance, however, demonstrates that early Christian martyr texts answer ...
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Does martyrdom hurt? For a wide variety of reasons, the answer to this question may seem to be an obvious “yes.” Divine Deliverance, however, demonstrates that early Christian martyr texts answer this question with an emphatic “No!” Indeed, ancient discussions of Christian martyrdom reveal an abiding interest in the insensitivity of the Christian body during torture and martyrdom. These claims to painlessness work to (re-)define Christianity in the ancient world: while Christians could not deny the reality that they were subject to state violence, they could argue that they were not ultimately vulnerable to its painful effects. The claims to painlessness in martyrdom reflect the theological—rather than historical—concerns of the martyr texts: Christians are not alone when they are tortured. Rather, God is with them, miraculously protecting their bodies from the pain of martyrdom.Less

L. Stephanie Cobb

Published in print: 2016-11-22

Does martyrdom hurt? For a wide variety of reasons, the answer to this question may seem to be an obvious “yes.” Divine Deliverance, however, demonstrates that early Christian martyr texts answer this question with an emphatic “No!” Indeed, ancient discussions of Christian martyrdom reveal an abiding interest in the insensitivity of the Christian body during torture and martyrdom. These claims to painlessness work to (re-)define Christianity in the ancient world: while Christians could not deny the reality that they were subject to state violence, they could argue that they were not ultimately vulnerable to its painful effects. The claims to painlessness in martyrdom reflect the theological—rather than historical—concerns of the martyr texts: Christians are not alone when they are tortured. Rather, God is with them, miraculously protecting their bodies from the pain of martyrdom.

One of the world’s best-kept secrets is Cuba’s longstanding commitment to providing medical care to developing countries. At present over 50,000 medical personnel are working in 66 countries. This ...
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One of the world’s best-kept secrets is Cuba’s longstanding commitment to providing medical care to developing countries. At present over 50,000 medical personnel are working in 66 countries. This book examines the role of Cuban medical cooperation in poor and developing countries from 1960 (a response to an earthquake in Chile) to 2014 (sending 165 medical staff to fight Ebola in Sierra Leone). It shows that, despite being a small country (pop. 11.2 million), Cuba provides more medical aid to the developing world than all of the G-7 countries combined. The first half of the book examines Cuban cooperation where the same programs are found in several countries (such as the response to natural disasters and Operation Miracle). The second half analyzes specific examples of medical internationalism—such as in Haiti, Venezuela, and the South Pacific. The end result is an all-encompassing portrayal of Cuba’s medical internationalism in scores of countries.Less

John M. Kirk

Published in print: 2015-10-06

One of the world’s best-kept secrets is Cuba’s longstanding commitment to providing medical care to developing countries. At present over 50,000 medical personnel are working in 66 countries. This book examines the role of Cuban medical cooperation in poor and developing countries from 1960 (a response to an earthquake in Chile) to 2014 (sending 165 medical staff to fight Ebola in Sierra Leone). It shows that, despite being a small country (pop. 11.2 million), Cuba provides more medical aid to the developing world than all of the G-7 countries combined. The first half of the book examines Cuban cooperation where the same programs are found in several countries (such as the response to natural disasters and Operation Miracle). The second half analyzes specific examples of medical internationalism—such as in Haiti, Venezuela, and the South Pacific. The end result is an all-encompassing portrayal of Cuba’s medical internationalism in scores of countries.

Cuba has provided ophthalmology surgery to over 3 million people, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean in a program known as “Operation Miracle”. The origins and evolution of this program are ...
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Cuba has provided ophthalmology surgery to over 3 million people, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean in a program known as “Operation Miracle”. The origins and evolution of this program are examined in detail, as is the rationale for this medical cooperation to developing nations.Less

Operación Milagro : Bringing Vision to Millions

John M. Kirk

Published in print: 2015-10-06

Cuba has provided ophthalmology surgery to over 3 million people, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean in a program known as “Operation Miracle”. The origins and evolution of this program are examined in detail, as is the rationale for this medical cooperation to developing nations.

Cuba’s largest trading partner and closest ally is Venezuela. When Venezuelan physicians refused to work in the barrios of Caracas, the mayor approached Cuban family doctors, and soon there were ...
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Cuba’s largest trading partner and closest ally is Venezuela. When Venezuelan physicians refused to work in the barrios of Caracas, the mayor approached Cuban family doctors, and soon there were thousands of Cuban physicians there in the Barrio Adentro program. Cuba has some 30,000 medical personnel in Venezuela, whose services are paid for by oil exports. Cuba’s medical role in various stages is examined, as are the various modalities of medical cooperation in which it is engaged nowadays—from the level of family doctor to medical specialist, from training medical students to assisting in a nationwide Operation Miracle program. The results of this longstanding medical cooperation are assessed.Less

The Cuba-Venezuela Medical Partnership : The Castro-Chávez Dream Lives On

John M. Kirk

Published in print: 2015-10-06

Cuba’s largest trading partner and closest ally is Venezuela. When Venezuelan physicians refused to work in the barrios of Caracas, the mayor approached Cuban family doctors, and soon there were thousands of Cuban physicians there in the Barrio Adentro program. Cuba has some 30,000 medical personnel in Venezuela, whose services are paid for by oil exports. Cuba’s medical role in various stages is examined, as are the various modalities of medical cooperation in which it is engaged nowadays—from the level of family doctor to medical specialist, from training medical students to assisting in a nationwide Operation Miracle program. The results of this longstanding medical cooperation are assessed.

This chapter analyzes the conditions needed to design and implement successful special economic zones and industrial parks. It discusses long-term trends and fundamental issues in global trade since ...
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This chapter analyzes the conditions needed to design and implement successful special economic zones and industrial parks. It discusses long-term trends and fundamental issues in global trade since trade is the main source of growth for low-income countries that have limited domestic demand. In recent years the story of global trade has often been presented by some economists and development experts as a cause for concern on the export-led growth model that made possible the so-called Asian Miracle that is no longer available for poor countries in Africa or South Asia. But statistics appear to show a turning tide: the value of world merchandise exports rose from $2.03 trillion in 1980 to $18.26 trillion in 2011, equivalent to 7.3 percent growth per year on average in current dollar terms according to WTO trade statistics. But from 2012 to 2014, world trade growth averaged only 2.2 percent, well below the average for the proceeding 20-year period. This has raised the question whether the same shaping factors that have given rise to today's global trade system are likely to continue in the medium and long term.Less

Reaping the Dividends of Globalization: A Winning Road Map

Justin Yifu LinCélestin Monga

Published in print: 2019-08-27

This chapter analyzes the conditions needed to design and implement successful special economic zones and industrial parks. It discusses long-term trends and fundamental issues in global trade since trade is the main source of growth for low-income countries that have limited domestic demand. In recent years the story of global trade has often been presented by some economists and development experts as a cause for concern on the export-led growth model that made possible the so-called Asian Miracle that is no longer available for poor countries in Africa or South Asia. But statistics appear to show a turning tide: the value of world merchandise exports rose from $2.03 trillion in 1980 to $18.26 trillion in 2011, equivalent to 7.3 percent growth per year on average in current dollar terms according to WTO trade statistics. But from 2012 to 2014, world trade growth averaged only 2.2 percent, well below the average for the proceeding 20-year period. This has raised the question whether the same shaping factors that have given rise to today's global trade system are likely to continue in the medium and long term.

The proliferation of movies at the turn of the twentieth century attracted not only the attention of audiences across America, but also the apprehensive eyes of government officials and special ...
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The proliferation of movies at the turn of the twentieth century attracted not only the attention of audiences across America, but also the apprehensive eyes of government officials and special interest groups concerned about the messages which the movies disseminated. Between 1907 and 1926, seven states and more than 100 cities authorized censors to suppress all images and messages considered inappropriate for American audiences. Movie studios, hoping to avoid problems with state censors, worrying that censorship might be extended to the federal level, and facing increased pressure from religious groups, also jumped into the censoring business. They restrained the content by adopting the self-censoring Production Code, also known as the Hays code. Some industry outsiders, however, believed that movies deserved the free speech protections of the First Amendment and brought legal challenges to censorship at the state and local levels. This book chronicles both the evolution of judicial attitudes toward film restriction, and the plight of the individuals who fought for the right to deliver provocative and relevant movies to American audiences. The path to cinematic freedom was marked with both achievements and roadblocks, which are discussed in detail. The book's coverage extends from the establishment of the Production Code Administration, to the landmark cases over films such as The Miracle, La ronde, and Lady Chatterley's Lover which paved the way for increased freedom of expression. As the fight against censorship progressed case by case through state courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, legal authorities and the public responded, growing increasingly sympathetic toward artistic freedom. A small, unorganized group of independent film distributors and exhibitors during the middle of the twentieth-century fought back against what they believed was an unconstitutional prior restraint of motion pictures. This effectively gave films after 1965 a new direction and allowed movies to mature into an artistic medium.Less

Freedom of the Screen : Legal Challenges to State Film Censorship, 1915-1981

Laura Wittern-Keller

Published in print: 2008-01-11

The proliferation of movies at the turn of the twentieth century attracted not only the attention of audiences across America, but also the apprehensive eyes of government officials and special interest groups concerned about the messages which the movies disseminated. Between 1907 and 1926, seven states and more than 100 cities authorized censors to suppress all images and messages considered inappropriate for American audiences. Movie studios, hoping to avoid problems with state censors, worrying that censorship might be extended to the federal level, and facing increased pressure from religious groups, also jumped into the censoring business. They restrained the content by adopting the self-censoring Production Code, also known as the Hays code. Some industry outsiders, however, believed that movies deserved the free speech protections of the First Amendment and brought legal challenges to censorship at the state and local levels. This book chronicles both the evolution of judicial attitudes toward film restriction, and the plight of the individuals who fought for the right to deliver provocative and relevant movies to American audiences. The path to cinematic freedom was marked with both achievements and roadblocks, which are discussed in detail. The book's coverage extends from the establishment of the Production Code Administration, to the landmark cases over films such as The Miracle, La ronde, and Lady Chatterley's Lover which paved the way for increased freedom of expression. As the fight against censorship progressed case by case through state courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, legal authorities and the public responded, growing increasingly sympathetic toward artistic freedom. A small, unorganized group of independent film distributors and exhibitors during the middle of the twentieth-century fought back against what they believed was an unconstitutional prior restraint of motion pictures. This effectively gave films after 1965 a new direction and allowed movies to mature into an artistic medium.

This chapter begins by looking at a single, very brief passage in “Faith and Knowledge” where Derrida recounts the origin of the Capri conference and its theme of religion. It then goes on to ...
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This chapter begins by looking at a single, very brief passage in “Faith and Knowledge” where Derrida recounts the origin of the Capri conference and its theme of religion. It then goes on to demonstrate how Derrida’s approach to the question of religion echoes—or doubles—his approach to other questions, such as the relationship between speech and writing, or breath and the machine, in a couple of important early texts. We also see in this chapter how Derrida’s thought always develops through a mise-en-scène of other texts and other voices, in this case, the two versions of the creation of mankind in Genesis. It is also here that an attempt is made to give a succinct definition of the first key word of the title of this book—miracle—with the definition of the second, machine, being reserved for the following chapter.Less

La Religion Soufflée : The Genesis of “Faith and Knowledge”

Michael Naas

Published in print: 2012-04-02

This chapter begins by looking at a single, very brief passage in “Faith and Knowledge” where Derrida recounts the origin of the Capri conference and its theme of religion. It then goes on to demonstrate how Derrida’s approach to the question of religion echoes—or doubles—his approach to other questions, such as the relationship between speech and writing, or breath and the machine, in a couple of important early texts. We also see in this chapter how Derrida’s thought always develops through a mise-en-scène of other texts and other voices, in this case, the two versions of the creation of mankind in Genesis. It is also here that an attempt is made to give a succinct definition of the first key word of the title of this book—miracle—with the definition of the second, machine, being reserved for the following chapter.

This chapter discusses the film The Miracle and the unusual circumstances that surrounded it with regards to film censorship. When the film was submitted to the New York City censors, it was ...
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This chapter discusses the film The Miracle and the unusual circumstances that surrounded it with regards to film censorship. When the film was submitted to the New York City censors, it was considered as godless and Communist propaganda, as opposed to being of great artistic merit. The film was shown in the city anyway, which led to a series of legal cases in the New York and Supreme Courts. But amidst the legal battles and arguments, it was Joseph Burstyn and his good test case that helped extend the boundaries of free speech.Less

The Strange Case of The Miracle, 1950–1952

Laura Wittern-Keller

Published in print: 2008-01-11

This chapter discusses the film The Miracle and the unusual circumstances that surrounded it with regards to film censorship. When the film was submitted to the New York City censors, it was considered as godless and Communist propaganda, as opposed to being of great artistic merit. The film was shown in the city anyway, which led to a series of legal cases in the New York and Supreme Courts. But amidst the legal battles and arguments, it was Joseph Burstyn and his good test case that helped extend the boundaries of free speech.

In the late 1910s and 1920s, film prologues were often dramatic and/or musical performances presented live on stage immediately before a feature film. Directly related to the feature and intended to ...
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In the late 1910s and 1920s, film prologues were often dramatic and/or musical performances presented live on stage immediately before a feature film. Directly related to the feature and intended to bridge the gap between “the world of actuality” and the world of the feature, they sometimes consisted of live enactments of plot summaries or involved a short scene from the film performed on stage by members of the film cast itself, though they might equally have involved a thematically related operatic scena or simply a song performance. This chapter focuses on the ubiquitous film trade-paper reporting of the phenomenon in Britain. To read against the grain is to discover a different story about the prologue’s genealogy (early special presentation in Britain, pre-Rothapfel) and its embrace in Britain (less widespread than implied) than the one told by the industry publicity.Less

Framing the Atmospheric Film Prologue in Britain, 1919–1926

Julie Brown

Published in print: 2012-12-03

In the late 1910s and 1920s, film prologues were often dramatic and/or musical performances presented live on stage immediately before a feature film. Directly related to the feature and intended to bridge the gap between “the world of actuality” and the world of the feature, they sometimes consisted of live enactments of plot summaries or involved a short scene from the film performed on stage by members of the film cast itself, though they might equally have involved a thematically related operatic scena or simply a song performance. This chapter focuses on the ubiquitous film trade-paper reporting of the phenomenon in Britain. To read against the grain is to discover a different story about the prologue’s genealogy (early special presentation in Britain, pre-Rothapfel) and its embrace in Britain (less widespread than implied) than the one told by the industry publicity.

This chapter discusses the case of Perrin Le Roux, a stagehand who was accidentally killed by Fremin Severin during a rehearsal of the play Miracle of Théophile in June 1384. This is similar to the ...
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This chapter discusses the case of Perrin Le Roux, a stagehand who was accidentally killed by Fremin Severin during a rehearsal of the play Miracle of Théophile in June 1384. This is similar to the case of Guillaume Langlois in terms of special effects gone awry and the king's absolution. This chapter suggests that Severin's case not only provided insights into the nature of both work performance and legal work product, it also justifies the assertion that there is no such thing as accidental impersonation. It also argues that this case concept of the rehearsal makes sense only in light of intentionality.Less

The Final Run-Through

Jody Enders

Published in print: 2009-06-01

This chapter discusses the case of Perrin Le Roux, a stagehand who was accidentally killed by Fremin Severin during a rehearsal of the play Miracle of Théophile in June 1384. This is similar to the case of Guillaume Langlois in terms of special effects gone awry and the king's absolution. This chapter suggests that Severin's case not only provided insights into the nature of both work performance and legal work product, it also justifies the assertion that there is no such thing as accidental impersonation. It also argues that this case concept of the rehearsal makes sense only in light of intentionality.

This chapter compares Jesus’s miracles with analogous wonders in contemporary mythic historiography. Singled out for attention are episodes of walking on water, stilling storms, catching and ...
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This chapter compares Jesus’s miracles with analogous wonders in contemporary mythic historiography. Singled out for attention are episodes of walking on water, stilling storms, catching and releasing fish, casting out demons, healings, and resuscitations.Less

Miracles

M. David Litwa

Published in print: 2019-08-06

This chapter compares Jesus’s miracles with analogous wonders in contemporary mythic historiography. Singled out for attention are episodes of walking on water, stilling storms, catching and releasing fish, casting out demons, healings, and resuscitations.

This chapter discusses the life and work of Larry Brown. Born in 1951, Brown grew up in rural Lafayette County, Mississippi, the land on which William Faulkner based his fictional Yoknapatawpha ...
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This chapter discusses the life and work of Larry Brown. Born in 1951, Brown grew up in rural Lafayette County, Mississippi, the land on which William Faulkner based his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. His father, a World War II veteran haunted by memories of combat, worked as a sharecropper, the original occupation shared by Faulkner's Snopes family, notorious for burning barns and other “white trash” transgressions. When Brown was three, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. The family returned to Mississippi when Brown was in his early teens, and his father died a few years later. Working-class characters stand at the center of Brown's fiction, and in works dating from the beginning of his career, they frequently speak in the first-person. This is evident in his first collection, Facing the Music (1988), and in his first novel, Dirty Work (1989). Brown's other works include Joe (1991), Father and Son (1996), Fay (2000), The Rabbit Factory (2003), and the posthumously published A Miracle of Catfish (2007).Less

Larry Brown: A Firefighter Finds His Voice

Joe Samuel Starnes

Published in print: 2016-02-01

This chapter discusses the life and work of Larry Brown. Born in 1951, Brown grew up in rural Lafayette County, Mississippi, the land on which William Faulkner based his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. His father, a World War II veteran haunted by memories of combat, worked as a sharecropper, the original occupation shared by Faulkner's Snopes family, notorious for burning barns and other “white trash” transgressions. When Brown was three, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. The family returned to Mississippi when Brown was in his early teens, and his father died a few years later. Working-class characters stand at the center of Brown's fiction, and in works dating from the beginning of his career, they frequently speak in the first-person. This is evident in his first collection, Facing the Music (1988), and in his first novel, Dirty Work (1989). Brown's other works include Joe (1991), Father and Son (1996), Fay (2000), The Rabbit Factory (2003), and the posthumously published A Miracle of Catfish (2007).

While hosting a television show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, I had the opportunity to investigate 12 claims of miracles, experienced by a wide swath of Americans. This chapter is a summary of some ...
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While hosting a television show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, I had the opportunity to investigate 12 claims of miracles, experienced by a wide swath of Americans. This chapter is a summary of some of the takeaway lessons that I learned during that time, as I observed how extraordinary events can be interpreted as evidence for the existence of the supernatural. In particular, our drive to find meaning combined with a faulty memory system, a bias towards confirming our beliefs and our uncanny ability to pick out patterns make it difficult for us to change our minds even in the face of new and contradictory evidence.Less

The Challenges of Changing Minds: How Confirmation Bias and Pattern Recognition Affect Our Search for Meaning

Indre Viskontas

Published in print: 2018-01-26

While hosting a television show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, I had the opportunity to investigate 12 claims of miracles, experienced by a wide swath of Americans. This chapter is a summary of some of the takeaway lessons that I learned during that time, as I observed how extraordinary events can be interpreted as evidence for the existence of the supernatural. In particular, our drive to find meaning combined with a faulty memory system, a bias towards confirming our beliefs and our uncanny ability to pick out patterns make it difficult for us to change our minds even in the face of new and contradictory evidence.

Chapter 1 reimagines the origins of the civil rights movement by examining the suffrage crusades that predated the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. The women and men of the Richmond Crusade for ...
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Chapter 1 reimagines the origins of the civil rights movement by examining the suffrage crusades that predated the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. The women and men of the Richmond Crusade for Voters were the legatees of a drawn-out struggle against racist civility and white paternalism in Virginia. Moderate racial reforms, led by men such as Gordon Blaine Hancock, characterized race relations in Richmond before the 1950s. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ended racist civility in Virginia. The Crusade and the National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) more immediately emerged in opposition to massive resistance to public-school integration and racist urban-renewal policies. This organization eventually outmobilized Harry Byrd’s political machine by paying poll taxes. With the help of the NAACP and its “Miracle of 1960” campaign, the Crusade elected an African American, B.A. “Sonny” Cephas, to the Richmond City Council in 1964.Less

Strictly Political : Racial and Urban Politics and the Rise of the Richmond Crusade for Voters before 1965

Julian Maxwell Hayter

Published in print: 2017-05-15

Chapter 1 reimagines the origins of the civil rights movement by examining the suffrage crusades that predated the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. The women and men of the Richmond Crusade for Voters were the legatees of a drawn-out struggle against racist civility and white paternalism in Virginia. Moderate racial reforms, led by men such as Gordon Blaine Hancock, characterized race relations in Richmond before the 1950s. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ended racist civility in Virginia. The Crusade and the National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) more immediately emerged in opposition to massive resistance to public-school integration and racist urban-renewal policies. This organization eventually outmobilized Harry Byrd’s political machine by paying poll taxes. With the help of the NAACP and its “Miracle of 1960” campaign, the Crusade elected an African American, B.A. “Sonny” Cephas, to the Richmond City Council in 1964.

In this chapter, the biases and ideologies inherent in saints’ legends are revisited and approached from the angle of their narrative embedding and encoding. After a brief discussion of different ...
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In this chapter, the biases and ideologies inherent in saints’ legends are revisited and approached from the angle of their narrative embedding and encoding. After a brief discussion of different approaches to ideology and perspective in narrative texts, propagandistic patterns of narration in the legends are theorised. A comparison of selected scenes with their sources shows the Scottish poet’s attempts at toning down potentially charged content as well as letting the legends speak for themselves. Miracles operate on a strategy of double foregrounding (the earthly world of pain vs. the transcendent world beyond pain), which is different from the strategy adopted in the South English Legendary. The chapter closes with an analysis of how the poet ‘authorises’ his tales by quoting authorities.Less

Putting the saint in perspective: ideology and hagiographic narration

Eva von Contzen

Published in print: 2016-04-01

In this chapter, the biases and ideologies inherent in saints’ legends are revisited and approached from the angle of their narrative embedding and encoding. After a brief discussion of different approaches to ideology and perspective in narrative texts, propagandistic patterns of narration in the legends are theorised. A comparison of selected scenes with their sources shows the Scottish poet’s attempts at toning down potentially charged content as well as letting the legends speak for themselves. Miracles operate on a strategy of double foregrounding (the earthly world of pain vs. the transcendent world beyond pain), which is different from the strategy adopted in the South English Legendary. The chapter closes with an analysis of how the poet ‘authorises’ his tales by quoting authorities.